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1.1.3 - More call-flow specification examples

Congrats, you already made it through the fist sections! You are now ready to look into a more advanced step-by-step description of a call-flow which will not only check opening times but also another calendar as well as the call reason of the customer. So it's almost the example we drafted in an earlier session.

The only additional thing will be that we add a multi-language component.

But let's get started and you'll see.

A call comes in

Again, just as described in the last section, there is much more behind the incoming "Call" then just being forwarded directly to the next section. In our case, before the caller reaches the IVR ("Select reason"-section), a number of things happen in the background:

Opening times are checked

Holidays/ closed days are checked

The caller's origin is analyzed

When you create your own flow, try to think of everything that happens before you want to offer the customer the option for choosing the call reason. Let's make our example from above more concrete:

The caller connects to the platform.

First, the opening times are checked. What happens if we are out of business hours?

Is something different happening if the service is closed due to a holiday or any other reason?

And then you also see that the customer is calling from an American number. Your usual service is in French but you also offer an English speaking service so you want to make sure the customer is not forwarded to the French IVR but to an English announcement

In a more technical term these are the things that are checked:

Opening times = true or false?

Any other calendar = true or false?

Callers origin = US?

None of the above applies?

The caller reaches the first audio prompts and the IVR

Now depending on the opening times, the calendars and the origin, the call will take different directions in the flow as you can already see.

We need to be careful in which order we setup the call flow. As you also offer an English flow, you need to make sure you test the caller origin first. Because imagine: you have someone calling in from the US after hours and instead of hearing the after hour audio prompt in English, they get a French message. Just keep that in the back of your mind - the order matters later on when you build the call-flow with babelforce.

But back to the theoretical part: we are actually down to six different directions the call might take at the first intersection. Let me show you why:

After hour calls:

Your caller is from the US and calling after hours so you need to forward the call to an English After Hour prompt

Your caller is NOT from the US and calling after hours so you need to forward the call to a French After Hour prompt

Non business day:

Your caller is from the US and calling on a non-business day so you need to forward the call to an English Non-Business Day audio prompt (or you might decide to use the same prompt as for the After Hour case)

Your caller is NOT from the US and calling on a non-business day so you need to forward the call to a French Non-Business Day audio prompt (or you might decide to use the same prompt as for the After Hour case)

Your service is open

Your caller is from the US and so you send the caller to an IVR with an English audio prompt

Your caller is NOT from the US and so you send the caller to an IVR with a French audio prompt

You might be wondering what's happening to the calls reaching your service after hours or on a non-business day. Well, that's up to you. Either, the calls end after you played the audio prompt. Or you can offer the customer to be called back the next day or whenever you are open again. Also, you could have the customer leave a voice message. Later on you will see that there are even more options. But don't worry, it's best to pick an easier version in the beginning. You can always add features later on.

The IVR choices

When calls enter the IVR we are down to two parallel flows, the French and the English. However, after the IVR, the flow will split again and we'll end up with six different paths as you will see.

These are the available paths the call can go next:

US Call to Support

US Call to Sales

US Call to Tech

French Call to Support

French Call to Sales

French Call to Tech

It's rather simple, of course - no black magic here.

Now, you want the call to end up at the right agent who is specialized in the task and speaks the caller's language. But unfortunately, that's not always happening, as you already learned in the last section.

Queuing and ending the call

The caller now is marked, for instance, as French caller who wants to speak to Support. However, what do you do if all your agents are busy on the phone or just not available? Again, this is something that is up to you but let me give you a few options.

The caller knocks on the French Support queue but no agent is available. So you directly forward the customer to a prompt asking to call back later or send an email.

Alternatively, you let the customer in and hope that an agent gets available within the next 5 minutes. If this isn't the case, you lead the call out of the queue to a similar prompt as above.

Also, you could offer the customer to send an email or offer a call-back option while the customer is waiting and continue to have the call in the wait queue.

Or you don't say anything but let the call in the queue without ever ending it.

There are other options that would make it even more complex, for instance you might want a call-overflow to external partners or other internal queues, but this is just for your information. Almost everything is possible.

There are just two more things you need to consider before you end this process:

What does the customer hear while waiting? Music or ringing?

What does the agent hear if the call is connected if anything at all?

So this completes this quite extensive call flow. We hope this example helps you to analyze your own flow.

Please find a short summary below. We decided to use the second option of ending a call if no agents were available to take the call (maximum wait-time scenario).

Summary

Language

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

French Call

Reaches service after business hours

Hears a French After Hours prompt, call ends

Reaches service on a non-service day

Hears a French After Non-service day prompt, call ends

Reaches IVR and selects Support/ Sales or Tech

Directly connected to French support/ Sales or Tech agent

Reaches IVR and selects Support/ Sales or Tech

No agent available, call is placed in queue and hears wait music

Eventually connected to French support/ Sales or Tech agent

Reaches IVR and selects Support/ Sales or Tech

No agent available, call is placed in queue and hears wait music

Reaches maximum wait time and hears French sorry prompt

English Call

Reaches service after business hours

Hears an English After Hours prompt, call ends

Reaches service on a non-service day

Hears an English After Non-service day prompt, call ends

Reaches IVR and selects Support/ Sales or Tech

Directly connected to English support/ Sales or Tech agent

Reaches IVR and selects Support/ Sales or Tech

No agent available, call is placed in queue and hears wait music

Eventually connected to English support/ Sales or Tech agent

Reaches IVR and selects Support/ Sales or Tech

No agent available, call is placed in queue and hears wait music

Reaches maximum wait time and hears English sorry prompt

Good to know if you test your flow later on:

This table summarizes the three different IVR-Routes in one. For the beginning, this is no problem, especially if you use the same rules for all queues and have the same flow rules.

However, if you complete your call flow and you want to test it, you need to write down every single possible way a call might take. How you test your call flow will be the topic of another chaper.

Next, we will be looking at sketching out your automation and integrations (which will be a very similar approach to what you already learned so far). So whenever you're ready, let's go to the next section.